Sparx

30/08/2013

Genevieve Nnaji Named As A Judge In Miss Earth Nigeria 2013 Pageant

The actress has been named as a judge in this year's Miss Earth Nigeria. Kelechi Amadi Obi and Karly Redd will also be judges. Heard Amber Rose is also expected to be a judge.

Nollywood Actress, Yvonne Jegede Releases Xtremely HOT New Photos - See more at: http://www.gistplanet.com/2013/08/nollywood-actress-yvonne-jegede.html#sthash.II2rUB2t.dpuf

Well built, Gorgeous, Why revealing cleavages? Seem she's on a mission to retain her role in the industry.
Yvonne, who was one of the chicks in 2face Idibia's African Queen video, has been spotted on movie locations since her return to Nigeria.

She left the scene in 2007 to study International Relations in Cyprus is back to the screen. - See more at: http://www.gistplanet.com/2013/08/nollywood-actress-yvonne-jegede.html#sthash.II2rUB2t.dpuf

Well built, Gorgeous, Why revealing cleavages? Seem she's on a mission to retain her role in the industry.
Yvonne, who was one of the chicks in 2face Idibia's African Queen video, has been spotted on movie locations since her return to Nigeria.

She left the scene in 2007 to study International Relations in Cyprus is back to the screen.

More Photos below; - See more at: http://www.gistplanet.com/2013/08/nollywood-actress-yvonne-jegede.html#sthash.II2rUB2t.dpuf

Nollywood Actress, Yvonne Jegede Releases Xtremely HOT New Photos - See more at: http://www.gistplanet.com/2013/08/nollywood-actress-yvonne-jegede.html#sthash.II2rUB2t.dpuf

TRAGIC: Nigerian Customs Official Beaten To Death By Angry Mob

There was mayhem at the Seme border area of Lagos State on Thursday after a 35-year-old man, Saturday Joel, was shot by officials of the Nigerian Customs Service.

Eyewitnesses said Joel was hit by a stray bullet while some customs officers were trying to apprehend a motorist who was smuggling a red Volkswagen bus from Benin Republic into Nigeria.

It was learnt that after the shooting, some residents took to the streets in protest. The residents were said to have alleged that customs officials had killed at least three motorists this month under the pretext that they were smugglers.

It was learnt that in the ensuing pandemonium, the customs officials stationed in the area fled. However, a Superintendent of Customs, identified as J. I Motojelu, was said to have been driving by at the time.

It was learnt that in retaliation, the angry mob, led by a community leader, dragged the officer out of his Toyota Corolla car marked ABJ 663 DW, and killed him.

It was learnt that the irate mob, also set the deceased officer’s vehicle ablaze and set up bonfires at the centre of the road.

The culprits were said to have used the opportunity to steal some items that had previously been seized by customs.

A police source said, “Motojelu, who knew nothing about the incident was beaten to death. The mob opened a customs patrol van stationed nearby and took a G3 rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition kept inside it. They then set the vehicle ablaze.”

Sources told our correspondent that some customs officials and policemen later returned to the scene and fired shots to disperse the mob.

A Birthday Message From Mercy Johnson To You

Here is what her publicist sent in.

Today, I thought of many things I would love to have as birthday gifts and the many dreams I am still pursuing. In all of this I’m not losing sight of the fact that if not for God I might have ended up on the street like the many kids and young adults begging for food and some prostituting to make ends meet.

If we know the circumstances that force some of these people on the street, we would spare a thought for them. I am where I am today purely by the grace of God and the grace of people who believed in me from the word go. Recently, I was at the Boys Reform Home, Oregun, Lagos, the discussion I had with the principal Mr. Kotun and much later with the Special Adviser in charge of all remand homes in Lagos set me thinking about the boys and girls on the street. They have dreams too. Can they fulfill those dreams on the street? The answer will likely be no; because I won't be where I am today if I ended up on the street.

For this reason, Mercy Johnson Foundation will be doing a lot to get kids off the street. We are not asking people for money or donation, I will do all I can with the resources God has given me, and with the support of my husband to help get these kids off the street and set them on the path where they can begin to pursue their dreams. I want to plead with people, fans, friends and colleagues to spare a thought for the children on the street. We can begin by educating people around us, parents, the children and people in charge of children (Oga-house help relationship, teacher-student relationship, and others) on the need to treat every child like the future of Nigeria depends on it. And truth be told, our future will not be all that enjoyable if we let the scourge of ‘street-children’ fester.

By then, the rich will begin to cry. I learnt Lagos State Government has 11 homes where most children picked from the streets are kept, reformed and reunited with their families after counseling.

That is an initiative Mercy Johnson Foundation will be supporting and beyond that we will be going to different states to help spread the message-Get kids off the street, save the future. From tomorrow, I will begin to replay some of the lessons I learnt at the boys’ reform home and we all can contribute to getting the kids off the street. I am grateful to everyone that has sent in a birthday message, tweet and gifts.

Thank you and God bless you. Mercy Johnson Okojie

Genevieve Nnaji is set to join the likes of Amber Rose, Boris Kodjoe and Kelechi Redd as a judge on the 2013 edition of Miss Earth Nigeria pageant.
The pageant director, Ibinabo stressed that this year’s pageant would be much different and interesting because they have started working with top dignitaries who are passionate about their environment and the earth at large.
- See more at: http://www.omg.com.ng/2013/08/genevieve-nnaji-amber-rose-and-othera-shortlisted-as-judges-for-miss-earth-nigeria-pageant/#sthash.p9ZYODCZ.dpuf

At the Naija corner of Nottinghill Carnival held on August 26 in London

At the Naija corner of Nottinghill Carnival held on August 26 in London, Nigerians living in the U.K. came out to party and enjoy music performance from some of Nigeria’s artistes.
Watch Oyo Prince and pop singer, Tillaman; female rapper, Tipsy; and Fuji maestro K1 De’ Ultimate’s daughter, Honey B’s performance at the carnival, courtesy, factory78tv.
- See more at: http://www.omg.com.ng/2013/08/nottinghill-carnival-watch-tillaman-tipsy-honey-bs-performance-at-naija-corner/#sthash.YjhXPKQ6.dpuf

I Was Never Femi Fani-Kayode's Girlfriend- Bianca Ojukwu

Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s widow and Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, has described as false the claim by former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, that she was his girlfriend when she was a spinster.
Fani-Kayode had in his article, entitled: “Neither a tribalist nor a hater,” published in the social media and some segments of the national dailies (not The Sun), claimed to have met with Bianca when she was Miss Bianca Onoh at the Cambridge College and had “intimate” relationship with her together with two other Igbo ladies.
Reacting to this, Bianca said she had never met Fani-Kayode before, either at official or private level, not to talk of having an “intimate” relationship with him.
The ambassador, who spoke through her lawyers, Wall Street Attorneys, has, therefore, threatened to drag the former aide to ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo to court if, in the next seven days, he fails to retract his libelous publication against her.
In the letter from her lawyers to Fani-Kayode, dated August 27, 2013 and signed by Mike Ugwuanyi, Esq, Mrs. Ojukwu demanded that the former minister writes an apology and retraction of the said libelous publication in The Sun and Thisday newspapers, as well as publish it in the online publication, where it emanated, in the next seven days or face litigation.
The letter written by Mrs. Ojukwu’s lawyers and obtained by The Sun read in part: “We have been briefed and our services retained by Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain to demand from you an unreserved apology and a retraction of a false and malicious statement, which you published online and also caused to be published in the Leadership Newspaper of August 16, 2013.
“In the said article entitled, ‘Neither a Tribalist nor a Hater,’ you recklessly alleged, as follows: ‘I was not a tribalist when I had a long standing and intimate relationship with Miss Bianca Onoh…’, a statement, which you know is untrue and unfounded, but only calculated to lower our client’s esteem and damage her national and international reputation.
“Our client has never met you, does not know you in person and has never had any official or private relationship with you how much more ‘a long-standing and intimate relationship.’
“Our client is therefore, outraged by your bizarre and scandalous allegation and the numerous mails and telephone calls she has received from friends, relations and admirers who are equally embarrassed and who seek to confirm the veracity or otherwise of your false and reckless publication.
“Your apparent lame and half-hearted attempt, as published in the Leadership Newspaper of 17th August 2013, to clarify your false and malicious allegation falls far short of a retraction and does not sufficiently address the damage to our client arising from the widespread dissemination of your false publication and is therefore unacceptable to our client.
“In the circumstances, we demand, on the instruction of our client that you submit to her a clear and unqualified apology and retraction published in The Sun and Thisday newspapers in addition to having the retraction published online.
“Take note that should you fail to tender the apology and publish a retraction of your false and malicious publication, seven days next after your receipt of this demand notice, our further instructions are to seek appropriate redress in court. And that shall be without further recourse to you. Be properly guided.”

27/08/2013

Anambra poll: PDP rejects Uba, picks Nwoye

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has accepted the verdict of the party’s Gubernatorial Congress Committee which returned Chief Tony Nwoye as the elected candidate for the Anambra State governorship poll.

National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, said that Nwoye was the party’s candidate as he emerged in an electoral process that was free, fair and transparent.

Nwoye scored the highest votes in one of the two congresses that held to select the governorship candidate of the party for the Anambra State election.

Tukur spoke while receiving the report of the conduct of the election from the GCC on Anambra State, led by the Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema.

By the decision, the party has rejected the chairman of the Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, Andy Uba, who emerged the winner of another congress which held under the factional chairman of the PDP in Anambra, Ken Emeakayi.

Tukur hailed the committee for demonstrating to the world that the choice of the people was respected by the PDP, noting that those vying for elective positions on the platform of the PDP should be prepared to test their popularity with the people.

He said, “On behalf of the National Working Committee, I commend the committee for doing the party proud, demonstrating to the whole world that PDP belongs to the people; to conduct an election that is free, fair and open.

“As long as you are running for an election, let the people return you or reject you; we have no anointed candidate.

“The people will decide and the people have decided and they have spoken and the winner of that election has come out. This single act has vindicated our stance as managers of our party. We are going to do free, fair and transparent election because this is what democracy demands.

“The party belongs to the people and it is the people who will decide at any level of election. Let the elections be like that, free, fair and transparent at all times.”

Shema said that Nwoye was returned for polling 498 out of the total number of 902 delegates who voted in the election.

He said Nicholas Ukachukwu came second in the election with 357 votes, with other contestants scoring low votes.

The Katsina governor who handed over the electoral materials that were used for the conduct of the election to the NWC stressed that the elections were held in the presence of the security agencies in accordance with the law.

He also handed over Nwoye’s Certificate of Return to the NWC.

However, Shema did not give a definite answer when he was asked whether the elections were witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission or not.

The governor who claimed that INEC was invited referred journalists to find out from the electoral umpire if they were invited to witness the elections or not.

“You should ask INEC the question of whether they were invited or not. We don’t have any confusion, we identified the delegates, the team that was approved by the National Executive Committee, security agents were present, and the delegates voted,” he said.

Man O' War National Commander possible replacement for Minister of Youth Development...

A reliable has revealed today that the position of the Minister of Youth Development which became vacant yesterday after the President, Goodluck Jonathan ordered the sack of the now ex- minister, Inuwa Abdulkadir, may already have prospective candidates.
One of whom is The National Commander of Man o' War, Nigeria, Mr. Ikenna Chidoka.Mr. Chidoka who has been very instrumental to youth development across the country (Including NYSC) was considered by the Villa for this position based on his personal efforts in reforming Man O' War as well as the Nigerian youths in the areas of discipline, morals, leadership and team problem solving activities to say the least.
So it is no wonder Mr. Chidoka has been considered for this befitting position.

Details...soon.

Boko Haram kills 14, injures nine in Borno

Nigerian Islamists on Monday attacked Bama, a town in Borno State killing 14 pro-government youth vigilantes and injuring nine others, a local official who attended a mass funeral for the victims has said.

It was reported that Sunday’s attack was one of the spates of deadly assaults by the Boko Haram Islamist sect this month that raises doubts about whether a military offensive against it since May can succeed.

Local vigilante groups run by youth volunteers have been instrumental in helping the military capture Boko Haram members, but they have also made them a target for the insurgents, drawing civilians further into the conflict.

The Chairman, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, Alhaji Baba Shehu Gulumba, told journalists in Bama, near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital that the insurgents disguised as soldiers and lured the youths into a trap.

“They were on guard duty when the sect members dressed in military camouflage came and told them that they were needed at a meeting nearby.

“When they had been lured away from their duty posts they were then attacked and killed,” he said.

When contacted the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, he said that he was not aware of the attacks.

He said that he had not received any briefing on an attack by Boko Haram in Borno on Monday.

He said, “I have not seen any such attack and killings in my records; I am not aware of it.”

Bama is in Borno State, the center of the insurgency. The town is not far from a mountainous area along the Cameroon border where many Boko Haram fighters are believed to be holding out, after being cleared from other areas by Nigerian forces.

Their four-year battle to revive an ancient Islamic caliphate in religiously mixed Nigeria remains the main security threat to Africa’s top oil producer.

The military announced a week ago that Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau may have died between late July and early August from bullet wounds he received during a gun battle weeks before.

If he did die, not only has it failed to stem the violence, but deadly attacks are actually up on a month ago.

Ini Edo’s Outfit To Her Party Last Night In London

Boy found under Arik plane tyre hole thought he was going to the US

The 14 year old boy who beat airline and airport security at Benin airport on Saturday August 24th and flew in the tyre hole of a Lagos-bound Arik plane actually thought he was on his way to the US.

Sources at Benin Airport said Daniel Ikehina ran away from home because he was being maltreated and was trying to escape from his parents when he joined the Arik flight. Unfortunately for him the plane wasn’t flying to the US, it was flying to Lagos where the stowaway was immediately arrested as he alighted from the wheel well of the aircraft. Daniel is presently in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) who are trying to unravel how he managed to pull off such a stunt.

I Don’t Feel Bad About Dirty Stories Written About My Mum—Omotola’s Daughter

Getting written about in the media is one thing most public figures cherish a lot but being in the news for negative and controversial reasons is what some don’t like at all. Apart for few eccentric stars like Tonto Dikeh, Charly Boy and few others, who don’t mind about controversies, others try to protect their names and brands to attract endorsements and good image.

For those who hate to be linked with negative news stories, they guard against such because they are not the only affected victims but their close family members. Their children, siblings, relations and spouses most times get hurt because they become a source of ridicule among their friends and associates.

For Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, she has had her own fair share of negative and dirty stories written about her person. From a controversial picture taken at the Grammy Awards few years ago to her alleged sex scandal with Sifax boss, Taiwo Afolabi.

Even recently, some rumour mongers alleged that the prominent movie star got N10 million from Afolabi to do her birthday celebration. This, the Ondo State-born screen diva has vehemently denied.

The first daughter of one of the world’s most 100 influential person named Princess said she doesn’t feel bad about some negative and dirty stories written about her superstar mother in the media.

According to Princess, when asked how she feels to be the daughter of a popular movie star, “It feels great, amazing and nice to be part of something very big and successful. I really thank God for making me part of her family and her person. I am really happy.”

Speaking further on if she feels bad about negative stories written about her mother, Omotola’s daughter simply said, “no, every moment has been meaningful and I am very grateful for every moment I have had with my mum.”

On whether she would take after her mum’s trade, “yes, I would,” was her answer.

Two Kenyan Men Agree To Marry The Same Woman

Two Kenyan men have signed an agreement to “marry” the same woman, reports say.

The woman had been having affairs with both men for more than four years and apparently refused to choose between them.

The agreement sets out a rota for Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kimani to stay in her house and states they will both help raise any children she bears.

Lawyers said their “marriage” would be legally recognized if they could prove polyandry was part of their custom.

‘Jealousy’

Mr Mwendwa and Mr Kimani drafted the agreement after realizing they had both been having an affair with the woman in Mombasa County for more than four years, the local Daily Nation newspaper reports.

Community policing officer Adhalah Abdulrahman persuaded the two men to marry the woman after he saw them fighting over her, it reports.

“We have agreed that from today we will not threaten or have jealous feelings because of our wife, who says she’s not ready to let go of any of us,” the agreement says.

“Each one will respect the day set aside for him. We agree to love each other and live peacefully. No-one has forced us to make this agreement,” it adds.

Mr Mwenda said her parents had given their blessing, while he is planning to pay the bride price.

The woman, a widow with two children, did not want to be named.

Kenyan family lawyer Judy Thongori told the Daily Nation that the law does not explicitly forbid polyandry – a woman having more than one husband.

“The laws we have do not talk about it but for such a union to be recognized in Kenya, it has to be either under the statutory law or as customary marriage. The question we should ask now is whether these people come from communities that have been practicing polyandry,” she is quoted as saying.

Polygamous marriages often take place in Kenya, but wife-sharing is unheard of, correspondents say.

‘Frank Edoho and I should not have married’ – Katherine Obiang

‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ host Frank Edoho is still legally married to estranged wife, Katherine, who told NET last week that the pair should never have become husband and wife. Katherine Obiang, who has three kids for the TV host spoke to our correspondent in a compelling interview how the 7-year old marriage should never have been and how the couple should have rather stayed friends.

Do you miss being on the television?

I had an amazing time on the then television but I don’t really miss it. My boss (at Nigerian Info FM) recently told me we will be going television soon, so I just might be going back to television. It doesn’t look like I have a choice.

Why did you sacrifice the television for the radio?

Television is more natural for me than radio but I soon became tired of the constant harassment it brought my way and then I had reached a point at NTA where nothing really excited me anymore. I wanted new things and to an extent, the bureaucracy there (NTA) didn’t have plans for that. Again, there was too much attention from the press, I couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized, it is still the case now though. Television was an intrinsic part of me but radio was a place to hibernate for me and it allowed me to be more vocal and impact more through my words as against the many distractions on the television.

What would you have been if you weren’t a broadcaster?

I would have studied Theatre Arts but my mother convinced me it was a profession for ‘no-gooders’. I did not understand then but I saw it as normal for parents to want their children to chart a professional course of life. I studied Accounting in the end but I would have been a Theatre Arts practitioner or perhaps Medicine because my father is a surgeon and I wanted to help people live a better life but I just could not pass Chemistry.

Let us into your background.

I’m Cameroonian. My dad is from Cameroun, my mom is from the Efik tribe in Nigeria, but somehow, we have been living there and here. My mom was a Head of Department in a tertiary institution, it was natural that we lived in Nigeria. I have no sister but brothers as siblings and even my aunt had only boys as kids, so I grew up among boys. I had different influences. We traveled a lot and to an extent, the experience helped shape who I am and how I see things. It was generally an OK childhood.

Having spent over ten years in the media, what is the big picture for Kathrine?

I would like to own my own talk show and get people to talk and share experiences in a different way from what we see here. A platform where I can talk with people and help them laugh even as we share their problems. I want to bring on board all sorts of personalities; the serious minded or light-hearted people and it would be on TV.

How did you start your journey in Nigerian media?

It was during my one-year internship. I was working with the account section of a radio station and one day, the programme manager called me and asked me to read something for him, after which he asked if I had thought of doing something on radio. I gasped but because I am always up for a challenge, I said yes when he asked if I was interested. I used to script everything I said so I can sound interesting and gradually, I grew into it.

How are your kids?

They are great.

And how are they taking the whole divorce issue?

We are not really divorced. It’s still a work-in-progress kind of thing but we are taking it well. When its time for him to see the children, he does and when its time to return them, he does. On my part, I have carried the children along and make them understand they are not stained because of it. I wouldn’t want them to develop a complex because of it. We didn’t design for these things to happen but they do. Its like people who have lost their parents, they didn’t plan for it but they have to move on. I watch them and I think they are doing pretty okay especially because we talk about it every time there is a reason to.

You mentioned that you aren’t really divorced. Does that suggest possibility of reconciliation?

No, it doesn’t. We just started the process but there isn’t any hope for reconciliation. We know we would always be in each other’s lives because of the children, so we have to be civil. When the children are getting married for example, we have to hide our differences and make it work.

What if he (Frank) came back, would you consider it?

No. Three years have gone by. It will be a whole entire process of knowing somebody all over again and I don’t have the energy to do that. We’ve let it burn and I don’t think he will do that.

Do you sometimes miss him?

He had such a great sense of humor. I don’t know if he still does. His sense of music too, being a radio presenter, and we used to exchange thoughts on things regarding that, but otherwise, I don’t miss him in that nostalgic way of…It’s a part of my life I have come to terms with. I am a solution oriented person. He was part of my life for more than 10 years (dated for four years and got married for 7 years).

Looking back at everything, do you wish you never got separated?

No, I think Frank and I should not have gotten married in the first place. We should just have been friends because he was an awesome friend. While I was dating someone else and he had to go back to his country, he (Frank) was there all through and I had known him all the while he was in the University of Calabar and we started our career together. I think we shouldn’t have pushed it to marriage and just stayed as friends.

Any regrets about that?

No. I have three lovely kids to show for it and of course, every thing happens for a reason and a purpose. They can only make us better or stronger people and it has done so for me. I have grown from what went wrong.

What is usually the cause of the fight?

I think it impatience, anger and not knowing how to deal with issue in the now, so you react before you think. It goes like, ‘huh, how dare you say this to me…is that what you will say?’ I can’t remember any one in particular, it has been long now, I have moved on and it’s not a thing that can happen to me again but I always say no matter what, a man should not raise his hands on a woman. A woman should also not goad a man too much. It takes nothing from the man who walks away because once he hits a woman, he starts to think it is justifiable. Unfortunately, we are in a society where we have friends that will give you thumbs up for doing that. A man should be calmer and not react on the now.

Are you making efforts to ensure that your son isn’t wrongly influenced by this?

I have a son and I talk to him all the time. I let him know he must be there to protect his sister. They should look at him and feel safe with him and he knows that. The girls also push him and I caution them, so it’s a balance.

Were you hit by the rumors of his recent marriage?

I didn’t want to believe he was because we are still married (legally). We are not divorced, so I didn’t see how that was possible and didn’t loose sleep over it. I’m not asking him not to go on with his life but things should be done properly. We are separated for three years and now in the divorce process. If he found happiness and love, then I’m happy for him.

Will you be trying your hands on marriage again?

You just never know.

If you would, what kind of man would he be?

You come to a point in your life where you can’t afford to do things out of adrenaline but with great thought. It would be a more mature person, someone who is calm and has a fine sense of how life should be. Someone who is mature, wise and seen life and the ways of the world and knows what he is doing at every time.

When you think about all that has happened, does it bring tears to your eyes?

No, I feel a sense of disappointment instead especially now when the children come home with questions that I need a man to answer, if he (their father) were around. For example, someone to be there for my son at a time when he is writing his common entrance examination. It’s a feeling of disappointment, but you know, we have to rise above them and you go on.

What was your reaction the very first time it happened?

I’m like these things happen in marriages but we think of reconciliation and getting families involved. It is your first trial in marriage and nobody gives a guideline about how things are going to be.

Apart from being part of the Project Alert, what other steps have you taken to help women who are battling with domestic violence?

I talk to them but in the end, I let them know, the decision is theirs. A friend of mine was involved in this and after we talk, she will go back to him. No matter what platform there is, it rests on the individual. It is what I have arrived at. I still share my story when I have the chance to.

What inspired the set up of your media outfit, 2PM?

I wanted something different and unique and 2PM media was born. A small representation of what I do and all the things I can do.

What else do you do apart from being an OAP and actress?

I emcee events, sell fabrics and do a little bit of everything.

After you stumbled on your first script, you seem to be doing well. Are you considering dumping radio for movies?

I don’t think so, I think I will just try to blend it the best way I can. I don’t know which way this road is leading me to but I am flowing with it for now. I can’t say what I will do or not.

Having spent over 10 years as a practitioner in the Nigerian media, how would rate the sector?

I think we don’t have good broadcasters still. People are overlooking the part of professionalism and thinking that because an individual has an accent or speaks well, he or she is qualified to be a broadcaster. On the good side however, everything is digitized unlike before. I feel if we can slow down and do things properly, the world is our oyster.

My Father Disvirgined Me, Had S*x With Me Everyday

A 17-year-old female student of Takoradi Senior High School (name withheld) has confessed to DAILY GUIDE in an interview that her biological father has been having sexual intercourse with her for the past nine months.

The girl claimed that she was a virgin but her father, who was sojourning in Spain and returned to Ghana in December last year, broke her virginity at his Adiembra residence near Sekondi, where he had sexual intercourse with her on several occasions. “At the age of 16, I had not slept with any boy or man, but my father returned from Spain last December and started having sex with me,” the 17-year-old girl alleged.

Asked why she did not inform her mother of the alleged abominable act by her father, the girl indicated that her parents had divorced and that it was her father who was taking care of her. He threatened to stop paying her fees if she told anybody. “If my father doesn’t pay my fees no one will do it. My mother does not have the means to take care of me in school so I was afraid to inform anybody about my ordeal; not even my mother,” the victim claimed.

The 17-year-old girl told DAILY GUIDE that she is a Methodist but her father had been preventing her from going to church, thinking that she might inform some of the church leaders of what he had been doing to her. She noted that about two weeks ago her father made an attempt to sleep with her after she had returned from school but she refused and he plugged an electric iron and placed the heated metal on her right shoulder and thigh, resulting in serious injuries.

The girl indicated that on Friday August 23, 2013, after she had returned from school her father demanded to have sex with her but she refused and he gathered all her belongings including school uniforms, text and exercise books and set them ablaze. “After that he still wanted to have sex with me so I run away to a neighbour’s house and it was there that I broke the news to some of the residents and they also decided to call DAILY GUIDE to publish the story for the whole world to know what my father had been doing to me,” she revealed.

When Daily Guide arrived in the Adiembra community at about 7:00pm last Friday, scores of residents who had heard the story were seen in groups discussing it. After narrating her ordeal to Daily Guide, the young lady begged to be taken to her mother at Fijai near Sekondi. There the victim broke the news to her mother, Auntie Mansa. The mother, who broke into tears upon hearing the story, gave the name of the father as Samuel Otoo Hughes. She queried her daughter for hiding such an abominable act by the father from her all this while.

Daily Guide learnt that personnel of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVSSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Sekondi yesterday arrested the father and placed him in custody pending further investigations, after a report was made. Daily Guide also gathered that a medical report form was issued to the 17-year-old girl to attend hospital after which the accused person was arrested. A source at the Sekondi DOVSSU confirmed the arrest but declined to give further details stressing that investigations into the case were still ongoing.

Navy Hands Over 12 Oil Thieves To EFCC in Bayelsa

The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy on Sunday in Bayelsa State handed over 12 suspected oil thieves the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The suspects, 11 Nigerians and a Cameroonian, were apprehended over their involvement in the theft of 10,000 liters of locally refined diesel off the waterways of the Egweama community in Brass Local Government Area.

The arrested Cameroonian was identified by the Navy as the Captain of the seized vessel used by the suspects to convey the stolen product.

The vessel, registered as MV Sea Giant, possessed no ship log, NPA bunking Permit or Certificate of Registration with the Joint Military Task Force.

Commodore Emmanuel Enemor, Operations Officer, Central Naval Command, presented the crew of the seized vessel to the Representative of the EFCC, Deputy Detective Superintendent (DDS), Mr. Ogbu Chinedu Michael.

He said that the suspects claimed the petroleum products on the vessel was for running machinery on board, but laboratory tests on a sample showed that the product was illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO).

According to Enemor, the vessel was arrested off the Brass River entrance on the 16th of May by the Nigerian Navy Patrol Team from the naval base located at Egweama Community in Brass Local Government area of Bayelsa State.

He also disclosed that MV Sea Giant operates under the business name and license of MOEN Marine Limited located in Victoria Island in Lagos, adding that the captain confessed during interrogation that the vessel came from Lagos to load AGO from Barge at Agbara offshore.

Enemor said the arrest and many others recorded by the Navy was due to the unrelenting effort of the Nigerian Navy to wipe out all forms of illegal activities and criminalizes in the maritime environment.

"Besides the territorial waters, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the high seas, other water bodies that are of serious concern to us in the fight against criminality in the command are the Brass River, Nun River, St.Nicholas River and Santa Barbara River," he said.

No Evidence of Recovery From Serious Brain Injury, ‘Ghost’ Governor Suntai Returns to Taraba Looking Confused, Saying Nothing

The return of the purportedly healed governor of Taraba State’s Governor Danbaba Suntai became more bizarre on Sunday following his return to Nigeria after 10-months of medical treatment in Germany and later in the United States.

Arriving at the Jalingo airport in Taraba State, Mr. Suntai was bizarrely prevented from meeting with the Acting governor, Alhaji Graba Umar, who was present to receive him. As soon as he was assisted off the aircraft, his supporters ushered him into a maroon Range Rover SUV and drove off with thousands of the rented crowd in tow.

Mr. Suntai's return to Nigeria began at the John F Kennedy International airport in New York at about 7:50p.m local time aboard a chartered Gulfstream IV with US registration number N388CA chartered from Farmingdale, New York–based Air Rutter International.

The jet first flew to Santa Maria Airport (LPAZ) near Senegal before proceeding to Nigeria, arriving in Abuja at about 1p.m. local time.

Upon arrival, it was a strange sight as Mr. Suntai was assisted by three aides to disembark from the jet. Following planted reports as to how well he had responded to treatment, several of his associates who had expected to meet a strong, healthy and fit Suntai were disappointed as he could not disembark without assistance.

He was immediately whisked to the VIP lounge where he was received by a big Peoples Democratic Party figure, Professor Jerry Gana, John Dara and several others.

Mr. Suntai managed to smile occasionally, but he did not speak to the waiting throng of reporters. In the continuing choreography, Prof. Gana later attributed the returnee-governor’s inability to speak to the long trip and jet lag.

At a point, photo journalists were ushered in to take Mr. Suntai’s photo, but he remained carefully sandwiched between Gana and another aide.

When the stage-managed events at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport were over, Mr. Suntai took the flight home to Jalingo, the Taraba capital, arriving there at 3:45p.m. Coordinators of the road show ensured that he also evaded the thousands of supporters mobilized to the airport to welcome the “healed” governor.

SaharaReporters sources have indicated that the next phase of the plot by a powerful cabal to keep the brain-damaged governor in power will manifest at the Governor’s Lodge in the next few days.

We have learnt that the main personnel behind the unfolding drama include retired general Theophilus Danjuma; Damian Dodo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who will provide the legal firepower for the maintenance of political power in the hands of a man who is clearly incapacitated; and Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, who will be the main political operative. They are being joined by some government officials led by the Secretary to the Taraba State Government, who will likely be used to form a parallel power structure in the state to keep Mr. Suntai in power.

A junior Minister in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, Darius Dickson Ishaku, along with Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, are the other actors in the political power heist in Taraba which offers moment-to-moment reminders of the fading days of President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Following his carefully-plotted “return” to power on Sunday, Governor Suntai is expected to send a letter to the House of Assembly in the next few days requesting a leave of absence. He may then return to the United States, where doctors have said he is unlikely to recover enough to return to normal life, to continue his rehabilitation.

Five Construction Workers Kidnapped In Bayelsa Snatched, Kidnappers Demand N30m Ransom

Gunmen last Friday abducted five workers at Opuama, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of troubled Bayelsa, again reaffirming the insecurity in the State and raising doubts about the assurances of Gov. Seriake Dickson, a former policemen, concerning safety of life and property in the state.

The kidnappers are said to have established contact with the companies, demanding a N30 million ransom.

It was learnt that the gunmen, who arrived in a speedboat, seized their victims in the early hours of Friday and took off in the same way.

The victims were identified as employees of Beks Nigeria Limited and M. Sidom Limited, local dredging firms retained by the Niger Delta Development Commission to carry out shore protection and reclamation at the Opuama waterways.

Only three of the kidnapped men: Anukuru Godwin, Samuel Edeh and Jackson Ibani, were identified as at the time of this report.

When contacted, Bayelsa police spokesman Alex Akhigbe confirmed the incident but gave no further detail.

He said that information on the crime was sketchy and promised to contact the police in Southern Ijaw.

Citing “Vital Questions,” Anti-Corruption Network Calls On Governor Suntai To Speak Up On His Health

The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) , has called on returnee Taraba State governor, Danbaba Suntai, to immediately speak to the world and declare the true state of his health.

The group made the call today in a press conference addressed by its chairman, Olarewaju Suraju, and Secretary, Ugochi Okpe.

They also challenged the Taraba State House of Assembly to rise up to the political challenge of the moment by commencing the process of ascertaining the health status of Mr. Suntai to determine his capacity to continue in office as a Governor or otherwise.

Mr. Suntai, who suffered grievous brain injury when a light aircraft he was piloting crashed in Yola, Adamawa State last October, returned to the country yesterday after extensive treatment in Germany and the United States. Despite statements by his doctors that it is most unlikely he will be able to function normally, his wife and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insisted that he has returned to good health. They flew him into Nigeria yesterday but the governor, appearing bewildered and uncoordinated, did not say one word publicly.

Earlier today, sources said he had forwarded a letter to the State Assembly stating his readiness to resume his office.

CSNAC urged the governor to speak up for himself rather than depend on party and family propagandists to continue misinforming and misleading the populace.

“Political aides and political jobbers in Taraba state should refrain of employing governor by proxy to precipitate crisis in the State,” the group said, calling on the national leadership of the PDP to save Nigeria another international embarrassment by ensuring the rule of law is strictly preached and adhered to in resolving the situation in Taraba.

CSNAC recalled several occasions in Nigeria’s recent history in which the health of a public official or figure has been exploited in deceiving the public and breaching the constitution, citing the cases of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, and Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

“Perhaps the most prominent recent case was that of First Lady Patience Jonathan, whose disappearance aroused public curiosity to a fever pitch,” the network reminded the public. “Mrs. Jonathan's aides denied outright that the first lady had any health condition, stating that she was only taking a well-deserved rest far away in Germany after a busy schedule.

It further recalled that President Jonathan’s office eventually stepped-in to admit Mrs. Jonathan’s poor health and that she was convalescing in a hospital in Germany, at one point releasing a grainy photo of the first lady and the president to assure the public that she was alive and well.

“Mrs. Jonathan of course returned to Nigeria to hold a thanksgiving ceremony in which she acknowledged, though after an outright denial of any sickness on her arrival into the country, that she was seriously ill to the point of death, expressing gratitude to God that she made it back alive after being under the surgeon’s scalpel several times,” the group said.

“Contrary to the scripted deceit of the public by the national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, the wife of Gov. Danbaba and his political aides, Saharareporters, an online news medium revealed details of the ailing Governor's health and condition right from when he was undergoing treatment in Germany till finally flown to the United States of America. A critical review of the report clearly tells the incapacity of Mr. Suntai to function in office as a governor. This clearly tells history is about repeating itself in Nigeria as farce.”

CSNAC also drew attention to the victims of the ill-fated flight, noting that since the tragedy, very little has been heard of the governor’s aides who were on the flight with him, as only the governor has been reportedly moved from hospitals in Nigeria to Germany and later to the United States.

“The media have not assisted with investigations on the less fortunate victims,” the group said, stressing that Nigerians deserve to know.

“If getting information about these victims of Suntai has been deliberately shielded, Suntai himself owes the nation a lot of explanation before uninformed citizens begin to attribute the blood of these innocent people to him. And the reality is that even if Suntai can use the might of his influence to suppress the news about this, he can hardly avert rumor from circulating.”

The Network called on Nigerians to rise in unison to condemn any attempt by the ruling class at taking the country through the familiar perilous path of governance by proxy, noting that the PDP leadership under President Goodluck Jonathan has failed to stem the tide of corruption since assumption office.

CSNAC is a coalition of over 150 anti-corruption organizations whose primary aim is to constructively and vigorously combat corruption and to ensure the effective monitoring of the various anti-graft agencies and to enthrone transparency, accountability, probity, and total commitment in the fight to eradicate corruption in Nigeria.

Just last week, the group Filed a Freedom of Information request demanding information of the Government of Taraba State about the state of health of health of Governor Suntai, and evidence that the governor, who was said to be on his way back to Nigeria to resume his office, had fully recovered.

Full text of the statement:

VITAL QUESTIONS AS AILING GOVERNOR DANBABA SUNTAI RETURNS

BEING THE TEXT OF A PRESS PARLEY BY CIVIL SOCIETY NETWORK AGAINST CORRUPTION ON MONDAY 26TH, AUGUST, 2013, ON THE MELODRAMA SURROUNDING THE RETURN OF GOVERNOR SUNTAI DANBABA TO THE NIGERIA

Gentlemen of the press, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.

INTRODUCTION

According to news reports Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai,returned to Nigeria yesterday. Ordinarily, this should be a charming development for the entire nation. Mrs. Suntai reportedly expressed the family's appreciation to all who had in many ways supported the family throughout their trying moment.

Some Nigerians living in New York also, reportedly, volunteered to accompany the governor home. The electorate who voted Gov. Suntai into the position obviously would be particularly more excited as the campaign promises that may have suffered non-implementation since his absence may now be revived. The rest citizens may also share from this excitement as the nation is spared another tragedy after the Governor had been away for no fewer than ten months, first in Germany and much later in the United States from where he reportedly returned from. As citizens of this country, we equally welcome this development and indeed wish Governor Suntai well as much as his family does.

SOME BACKGROUND

We deem it necessary to quickly remind Nigerians of the circumstances of Governor Suntai as the number one citizen of his state, Taraba, even as some may readily dismiss this as unnecessary because history hurts liars.

So suddenly, the matter of Governor Suntai has become the concern of the bickering and confused leadership of Suntai’s party men in Abuja not of his people in Taraba. On August 3, members of the PDP Fact-finding Committee on the Taraba political situation, led by its chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma, paid solidarity visit to the governor at SeaView Hospital Rehabilitation Centre and Home in New York

Mr. Uzodinma was accompanied by the Special Adviser to the PDP National Chairman on INEC and Inter-party Affairs, Shittu Mohammed, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, Abubakar Gada and the Consul-General of Nigeria in New York, Habib Habu. This is not the first of media exhibitions to convince Nigerians that all is well with the ailing governor.

During a similar visit in the past, an obviously hastily arranged photograph of the governor, his wife and their newly born babies was touted across the media. Since then, the office of the governor has mustered persistent efforts to assure the people that the governor’s health has remarkably improved.

However, reports by a section of the media says Governor Suntai, following his transfer from the German hospital was moved to an undisclosed hospital in the United States and much later to the prestigious John Hopkins Hospital, located in Baltimore, in the US state of Maryland.

This is contrary to the repeated claims by the governor’s office indulging in the familiar pattern of propaganda and outright falsehood characteristic of Nigerian public officials about the true health conditions of their principals in such situations.

It is important to note that the nation had traveled this road before. Until the defunct Next newspaper dared whatever consequence may befall it, no news medium could tell the world about the true situation with late President Yar’Adua. That paper reported against all political propaganda that the President was “brain dead”. And even at that, it took weeks before the political gangsters and opportunists could tell the truth.

Last February, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State returned to Nigeria after months away from the country battling a health condition that was never officially revealed to the public. In his case, he was actually away from the country for weeks before questions arose over his whereabouts, prompting his office to issue repeated unconvincing assurances. The governor, upon his return, arrogantly announced that he did not owe anyone an explanation on his health situation.

Perhaps the most prominent recent case was that of First Lady Patience Jonathan, whose disappearance aroused public curiosity to a fever pitch. Mrs. Jonathan's aides denied outright that the first lady had any health condition, stating that she was only taking a well-deserved rest far away in Germany after a busy schedule.

President Jonathan’s office eventually stepped-in to say that Mrs. Jonathan was indeed convalescing in a hospital in Germany. The president’s office also released a grainy photo of the first lady and the president to assure the public that she was alive and well.

Mrs. Jonathan of course returned to Nigeria to hold a thanksgiving ceremony in which she acknowledged, though after an outright denial of any sickness on her arrival into the country, that she was seriously ill to the point of death, expressing gratitude to God that she made it back alive after being under the surgeon’s scalpel several times.

Contrary to the scripted deceit of the public by national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, the wife of Gov. Danbaba and his political aides, Saharareporters, an online news medium revealed details of the ailing Governor's health and condition right from when he was undergoing treatment in Germany till finally flown to the United States of America. A critical review of the report clearly tells the incapacity of Mr. Suntai to function in office as a governor. This clearly tells history is about repeating itself in Nigeria as farce.

ISSUES ARISING.

Leadership

As the chief executive of his state, Governor Suntai, swore to defend the Constitution on assumption of office but the extent of his faithfulness to this today after a long period of self-inflicted fate leaves a lot to be desired. Not only has he denied the state the leadership he promised, the character of the leadership he was even able to offer will hardly qualify as a model for anyone. Governor Suntai acquired three aircrafts following his assumption of office as the governor in a state without an airport. The implication of this is clear: He is an absentee governor and got his absenteeism prolonged even if unwillingly by the sickness. He fulfilled the Shakespearean prophesy to the effect that “things bad begun make strong themselves by ill”.

We wish to deplore strongly, attempts at personalizing political offices by Nigeria's ruling elites. Failure or inability to function in offices, either by cause of nature or self affliction should not be at such huge cost to the electorate as experienced in this country. Governor Suntai and the PDP should save this country a repeat of the ignominious experience of the Yar'adua saga and odious breakdown of law and order perpetuated in Rivers State.

Transparency and Accountability

Governor Suntai’s friends and spin doctors have been relentless in rationalizing the urgent return of the ailing Governor. Taraba state electorates and Nigerians in general are not informed of the cost of this shenanigan. How much does it cost the state to Charter and ambulance private jet and the allied expenses such as this? There is no doubting the fact that the Suntai propagandists would not deem it an obligation to offer any explanation to the world and offer apologies until there are speculations in these directions. Unfortunately, the posturing of the anti-corruption agencies and Code of Conduct Bureau so far on this matter is such that they do not have enough reason to begin to act.

Suntai’s Flight Victims

Since the tragedy of the flight, very little has been heard of the governor’s aides who shared the unfortunate fate with him. Only the governor has been reportedly moved from hospitals in Nigeria to Germany and later to the United States. The media have not assisted with investigations on the less fortunate victims. Nigerians deserve to know. If getting information about these victims of Suntai has been deliberately shielded, Suntai himself owes the nation a lot of explanation before uninformed citizens begin to attribute the blood of these innocent people to him. And the reality is that even if Suntai can use the might of his influence to suppress the news about this, he can hardly avert rumor from circulating.

PRAYERS

Governor Suntai should immediately speak to the world and declare the true state of his health rather than continuing to depend on party and family propagandists to continue misinforming and misleading the populace;

The Taraba State House of Assembly should rise up to the political challenge by commencing the process of ascertaining the health status of Mr. Suntai to determine his capacity to continue in office as a Governor or otherwise.

Political aides and political jobbers in Taraba state should refrain of employing governor by proxy to precipitate crisis in the State;

The National leadership of PDP must safe the country another international embarrassment by ensuring the rule of law is strictly preached and adhered to in resolving the Taraba issues; and

Nigerians should rise in unison to condemn any attempt by the ruling class at taking us through the familiar perilous path of governance by proxy.

The PDP leadership under President Goodluck Jonathan has failed to stem the tide of corruption since assumption office. Petty thieves are summarily convicted and penalized while politically exposed persons caught continue to enjoy proceeds of their criminal acts and remain in office under the guise of trial. These were the cases of the police man caught on tape soliciting bribe and the case of Honorable Farouk Lawan, a serving member of the Federal House of Representatives.

Aluta continua! Victoria Ascerta!

Olanrewaju Suraju. Ugochi Okpe

Chairman Secretary

30/08/2013

27/08/2013

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